I’ve had this on tap at the Bryant Lake Bowl and the Pig & Fiddle and from a bottle poured into a craft beer glass.
A: Brilliant chestnut, 1” off white foam collar, provides thin lines of lace.
S: Mild fruit cake in a glass with citrus, light fruit, spice.
T: The dark malts have a cakey bread character with dried fruit, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of clove. It starts sweet but there is some drying astringency from the spices on the finish.
F: Creamy, medium body and carbonation.
O: This is a good, rich Christmas ale. It is a little on the rich side to drink more than a bottle of this at a sitting.

At Rattle n Hum, NYC. From bottle dated 10/30/09. Thin, wispy head & lacing. High aromatics on the nose, all the warmth one would expect from a winter warmer. Despite 5 years in the bottle this is a well made beer that stands the test of time. The 7.6% doesn't show..at least not at this point.

Appearance: Pours a pretty, cloudy, dark mahogany color with half of a finger of off-white head that quickly dissolved into a thin lacing of foam that almost completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Very aromatic! Lots of malt and notes of freshly baked bread, mixing with some strong notes of dried stone fruit, such as prunes, figs, raisins and cherries. I also get some good spice notes of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar.

Taste: Slightly sour up front, like sour cherries (I’m not sure if this is intentional, or if it is a by-product of a year’s aging in the bottle), followed by some good malt and spice notes, such as clove, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, and some brown sugar-like sweetness. Reminds me a little of gingerbread topped with a sour cherry frosting.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied to slightly chewy with some pretty good carbonation. With an ABV of 7.5%, there is no presence of alcohol on the palate.

Overall: This is another very good, very tasty beer from Goose Island! There’s a lot going on it its flavor from the slightly sour cherry notes to the gingerbread spices. I liked this very much!

12 oz bottle poured into a Goose Island tulip glass. Bottled on 10/13/07.
Ap: Pours about half a finger of bone colored head with some still bubbles. Body is a murky brown/chestnut color.
Ar: Vinous nose of tart cherries, cardboard, brown sugar, raisins and fruit cake.
T: Oxidized malts, brown sugar, chocolate, and some holiday spices.
Mf: Very thin and slick.
Overall: Needless to say this is over the hill but it does taste better than expected for being 7 years old. There’s still a nice bite of holiday spice and some nutty maltiness but the thinned out body and stale carbonation really take it down a notch.

A - Very murky mahogany color. Minimal, thin, whispy, off-white color. Little retention with only a slight ring around the edge. Minimal carbonation.

S - Sweet dark bready aroma. Molasses and brown sugar are very present but don't provide a cloying aroma. Big raisin and some fig aroma. Sweet, bread pudding like aroma. Nose is very appropriate for the season.

T - Similar to the nose but not as bready or sugar-like. Raisin flavor is quite prominent. Some brown sugar is present. Toffee and caramel is also present. Less bread pudding and more hybrid between a Dubbel and an American Brown. Very strong on the dark fruit.

M - Low carbonation. Light, soft, and pillowy feel. A touch thin.

D - Sweet but not cloying. Drinks well for the season and provides a nice mix of winter flavors. Alcohol is well hidden. A little too one-noted with the raisin/dark fruit.

Notes: Bottled 10/12/11. Aged for three years. Decent holiday beer that doesn't rely on spices to seem festive. I enjoyed the beer, but it's a little too one-noted. The body is slightly on the thin side. It didn't wow me, but it was enjoyable for what it was.

Sampling right now on 9/27/14 while watching some college football. Bottled on: 09/12/12 BUT no expiration date. Bottle a single bottle at Spirit World in Omaha a good month ago for $3.19. From the Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois (NOW brewed in Baldwinsville, NY). Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a "GOOSE ISLAND BEER CO." pint glass.

Pours a dark brown in color with a 3mm beige head that settles down to just along the edges of the glass. Some spotty lacing is seen. Sediment is seen at the bottom of the bottle. The aroma is like a good seasonal Christmas/ Winter brew with holiday spices, brown sugar, caramel, dark fruits and dark bread. The taste is close to that with lots of tasty flavors mixed in for a good balance. Good mix of spices as you can taste some cinnamon, nutmeg and others spices as well as some toffee. Very nice and no bitter or harsh finish. Medium to Medium+ bodied with perfect carbonation. Just makes you wish for cooler weather since it has been in the low 80's for most of September. Overall a great brew.

12 oz. bottle, vintage 2012, with bottled on date 09/19/2012 printed on the back label, so this beer is approaching it's second birthday. Acquired a single bottle of this from the local beer store for $2.99.

Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.

A - It pours a thick murky caramel colored body with about one finger of tan foam head. Leaves some nice thin lacing behind. Looks very nice.

M - The feel is smooth and creamy, lightly sticky / syrupy on the finish. Medium full bodied; semi-thick, but it is to be expected. Very easy drinking for the semi-high abv.

Overall, a delicious Christmas ale that has held up well. Absolutely delicious caramel and taffy forward at this point; I would love to put a few more bottles of this away to see how it fares. I look forward to future vintages of this.

I enjoyed this gem while watching the Philadelphia Mummers’ Parade on New Year’s Day. I liked this baby so much that I decided to make it my 500th written review.

The bottle that I sampled was 2012 and had about 1.5 years of age on it.

Pours a cloudy brownish copper with two big fingers of beige head. Some of the head lingers and leaves nice lacing in its wake. The nose is an exquisite combination of malt and brandy notes. This offering is rich and malty with a semi-dry finish. The hints of brandy linger throughout the flavor profile.

Even though the ABV was not exceptionally high, this offering appeared to age very well.

I have no recollection purchasing this but found it tucked away in the basement of my parents’ house. Thought it would be fun to enjoy it.

This pours a ruddy raisin-color with thin foaming. It’s murky in appearance, like a poorly filtered French press cup of coffee.

The bottle calls this a American Brown Ale but honestly it pours more like a Belgian spiced dubble. There’s a light, low aroma of dried stone fruits, raisin and dates, with a sweet and sweetly-spiced flavor of cloves and allspice blended with the raisin and dates. I found it a delicious and welcome surprise.

Double side-by-side review of the 2011 and 2012. I will note differences between the two in addition to describing their shared qualities.

A- Both pour a deep, hazy brown. The 2011 has a much smaller head, at about 1 finger, while the 2012 pours a giant head. Retention and lacing on both are great. *The 2012 had a fair amount of foam form in the bottle while opening, so there might be a carbonation level difference here.

S- Both have big, deep caramel malt scents. The 2011 has a dose of dark fruit that gives of the smell of a little bit of plums as well as some biscuity malts. Brown sugar sweetness is also evident in the 2011. *The 2012 has a very chemical/oxidation scent; I'm worried about this one.

T- Just like the scent for the 2011. Starts with your basic caramel malts and deepens with some of the brown sugar sweetness. A little bit off the biscuity malts are in there too, but just a tiny touch of the dark fruits. *The 2012 displays flavors similar to the scent and also has a very oxidized taste.

M- Fairly smooth, higher in carbonation, and easy to drink. The heavy flavors slow the drinking down a bit, but it is still a sessionable brew.

Overall, I have concluded that the 2012 bottle had gone bad. There was a tiny bit of rust under the cap, and the beer displayed some very off flavors and scents, both fairly consistent with oxidation. As for the 2011, it is still a pretty good beer. I'm not sure this will "develop in the bottle for up to 5 years." Still, this is a fairly complex brown ale, which is saying something for most brown ales. (ratings are for the 2011)

Had the 2011 edition pured out of the bottle into a pint glass. Not sure how I feel about the whole aging in the bottle thing when it comes to beer and what the science is behind that, I guess to see the effects you'd essentially by a four pack, and drink one each year, or by the same year's 4 pack every year for 5 years or so. Seems like a lot of work. Anyway, not the best brown ale I've had. It had a nice nutty flavor to it, but there was an overpowering sour/sweetness to it that I didn't love. Hazy brown color that wasn't super appetizing. I prefer their Sixth Day around the holidays I think.

notes: quite impressive. this is like a ramped up version of their brown ale with much higher hops and some dark fruits. It is complex with multiple layers of flavor. Yet another great beer from Goose Island.

Appearance: Dark cloudy copper brown with sediments in the body (morse than likely due to the age of the beer). Head is a slightly orange tinted white head that rose to maybe 1/4" at best.

Smell: caramel scent comes off light.

Taste: Sweet pecan type of feel with a light spiciness to it. Has caramel feel that is not had at all. Light yeast and malts, complex.

Mouth: Medium to heavy a bit on the body. Very sticky if you ask me which comes to a surprise consider most brown ales.

Overall: First time I'm having this and Goose Island comes once again delivers nothing but gems. It's a tad sweet for some, I think it's just right. When I catch the next batch I will be sure to grab them fresh. Salud!

Got a 2012 bottle of this from Tom's in East Lansing. It's only September but oh well, I can't wait. Served in a nonic as recommended by the brewer.

A: Pours an interesting cloudy, bubbly amber-copper color with a short beige-tan head that lasts for a few minutes before fading down to a thin ring on the edges of the glasses, leaving minimal amounts of lacing.

O: Overall this was great, it was an impulse buy without me knowing too much about the beer before I got it, though I am a big fan of Goose island, toured their breweries and have had many beers from them and as such, this is ale is just another number on their great beers list. Recommended hands down.

Got this beer as part of a 6 for 4.99 deal at a grocery store that wouldn't be my first stop for anything craft.

I think we're past the fresh stage, but still early on the aged stage on this one. Heavy malts going on. Mild spice. Seems very well made, but not quite the best time to approach this one. Nice enough to drink, I guess, but I will approach this one fresh or heavily aged next time.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a cloudy brown with very little head. Smells of chocolate primarily, with slight hoppy notes. Tastes of slight coffee and chocolate, with some piney hops. Beer goes down smooth, with its light body, good carbonation. Overall, a slightly above average beer.

From the 12. fl. oz. bottle marked bottled on 08/31/12-0936. So this is 10 months old and of course well past Christmas. But I found it on clearance real cheap.

The color is a slightly murky amber-brown with a frothy tan head that lingers.

The aroma is subtle and sweet with esters of toffee, butterscotch, caramel malts, and nutmeg or brown sugar. The hops are even more subtle.

The body is smooth and medium.

The taste is surprisingly bitter considering the aroma is more sweet with creamy caramel and toffee merging with a moderate bitter bite that lingers and ends slightly dry. Still tasty all these months later.

2012 edition. From the 12 oz bottle out of the cooler at Whole Foods in DC. Tastes more like an Old Ale, I can't conceive of this as a Brown. A little hazy, and I'd call it cherry-amber in color. Very thin but fine-grained foam.

This is just a peculiar taste. Buttery and roasted grainy flavor. Maybe the musty smell is the tip-off that not all is well. Distinct cola flavor with some earthy hops. The carbonation is quite nice, however. Sweet and slightly bitter. Well, this is sort of drinkable, it doesn't seem to be spoiled, but the rest of the bottle is going down the sink.

Appearance: Poured amber brown with a deep thick head and a lacing that refuses to recede from its initial pour line.

Smell: A nice Holiday scent of dried fruit and nutmeg that is not overpowering.

Taste: The buttered toast and caramel malts lead to a lingering cinnamon-like bitter finish. As the beer warms, the flavor of black licorice emerges.

Mouth feel: Medium body and good carbonation, with a balanced sweet and bitter finish.

Overall: This American-style Brown Christmas Ale has aged very well. If any one flavor was originally dominant, that is not longer true. The Holiday spices have married well with the caramelized malt to make it very easy to enjoy more than one glass full. This beer may very well have reached its peak age, but I will continue to test as I still have three bottles in my cellar.